Student Opportunities

The Sustainability Office connects UMBC students to various sustainability engagement projects. Graduate and undergraduate students have many opportunities to engage in unique academic enrichment and professional development opportunities. The Sustainability Office wants to empower students to actively participate and take ownership in sustainability topics that are important to them. To help with this strategy we provide a platform for you to showcase your research; furthermore,  we connect you with campus/regional projects, conferences, and peer-review publishing opportunities.

At UMBC’s Sustainability Office we know that Graduate Students are looking for relevant and enriching activities that allow you to engage in sustainability efforts while also enhancing your career. That’s why we are working with GSA to promote you and your work! There are many sustainability-related activities that require very little time commitment but yield very big CV benefits. Please explore the following categories to see how you can demonstrate your sustainability competencies!

Did you know that your interests can translate into research and have big sustainability impacts? Many of UMBC’s students and faculty are inquiring and hypothesizing about topics connected to sustainability systems on local, regional, national, and global levels. UMBC’s Office of Sustainability is working to better understand how our community’s academic interests and pursuits align with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, adopted by 193 countries, are the world’s call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world. Did you know that your interests can translate into research and have big sustainability impacts? Many of UMBC’s students are inquiring and hypothesizing about topics connected to sustainability systems.

We want to highlight your research in the UMBC Student Sustainability Research Dashboard! 

All you need to do is submit a brief abstract (3 or 4 sentences) of your work. Your research can be just starting, ongoing, or finished. Even if you’re not sure if it is related to sustainability we ask you to still submit it and our team will evaluate it against the SDGs to determine if it fits.

Showcase My Research

There are several regional, national, and even international conferences related to sustainability that look for students to present posters, speak at a session, or facilitate a workshop. The Sustainability Office will share these opportunities on our myUMBC. Additionally, we will help you craft your proposal to maximize its appeal to the conference organizers.

Join Sustainability Matters on myUMBC

Did you know that there are a plethora of peer-reviewed sustainability journals seeking new contributors? Some of these Journals even have a theme for an upcoming publication and solicit submissions of work based on specific disciplines.  We will help connect you to the appropriate journal and we’ll share any special announcements on myUMBC. 

SJR Title
3 Energy and Environmental Science
5 Nature Climate Change
8 Advances in Optics and Photonics
10 Nature Ecology and Evolution
11 Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
13 Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
14 Global Environmental Change
16 Global Change Biology
17 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
23 Conservation Letters
25 WIREs Climate Change
26 Nature Sustainability
27 Fish and Fisheries
30 PLoS Computational Biology
32 Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
35 Journal of Carcinogenesis
40 International Journal of Project Management
SJR Title
44 Geotechnical Perspective Letters
45 Environmental Science and Technology Letters
50 Cryosphere
54 Green Chemistry
59 Climate of the Past
64 Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
73 Emerging Contaminants
75 Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
77 Environmental Science: Nano
78 Climate Services
79 Particle and Fibre Toxicology
88 Business Strategy and the Environment
92 GCB Bioenergy
93 Journal of Industrial Ecology
95 Agronomy for Sustainable Development
97 Environmental Sciences Europe
98 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

Rankings by the SCImago Journal and Country Rank. View original list of SJR ranking (provides no access to journal content).

 

 

At any given time there is a multitude of projects happening at UMBC or in the surrounding community. These projects vary in discipline and time commitment; however, they provide valuable opportunities to gain hands-on experience outside of the classroom or lab. The Sustainability Office is always looking for students to join a team, collaborate, and share their interests or skills – at whatever level of effort you feel comfortable contributing! Some examples of specific CV enhancing opportunities include:

  • Grant Writing
  • Co-PI
    • Join us as a Primary Investigator on a Grant where you will be involved in the entire process of a grant from conception to execution  to final reporting
    • Learn and utilize project management skills and techniques, i.e. SCRUM, waterfall, adaptive, etc.
    • Hone your stakeholder engagement skills
  • Subject Matter Expert/Project Consulting
    • Help the Sustainability Office by lending your expertise on a project

 

 

The Sustainability Office knows that our students want to become involved in sustainability both in the classroom and in their lives. To accommodate your interests and passions the Sustainability Office offers several ways for you to learn more about sustainability while also sharing your experiences with the greater UMBC community.

Are you passionate about sustainability and want to leave a positive impact at UMBC? If you said yes, then look no further because the Eco-Ambassador (EA) program was designed for students just like you!

The Eco-Ambassadors are a core group of sustainability peer educators. As a peer educator, you will play a vital role in the promotion of sustainable living at UMBC. Peer education embraces the idea that members of the community, rather than outside experts, are in the best position to encourage choices for sustainable living.

As an Eco-Ambassador you will have the freedom to work on a campaign centered around a project of your choosing. You will work closely with the Office of Sustainability and your fellow ambassadors to achieve your goals for the year. The program is created not only to make UMBC more sustainable but also to help students gain skills and professional experience.

Learn More

Apply Today

 

 

Did you know that your interests can translate into research and have big sustainability impacts? Many of UMBC’s students and faculty are inquiring and hypothesizing about topics connected to sustainability systems on local, regional, national, and global levels. UMBC’s Office of Sustainability is working to better understand how our community’s academic interests and pursuits align with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, adopted by 193 countries, are the world’s call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world. Did you know that your interests can translate into research and have big sustainability impacts? Many of UMBC’s students are inquiring and hypothesizing about topics connected to sustainability systems.

We want to highlight your research in the UMBC Student Sustainability Research Dashboard! 

All you need to do is submit a brief abstract (3 or 4 sentences) of your work. Your research can be just starting, ongoing, or finished. Even if you’re not sure if it is related to sustainability we ask you to still submit it and our team will evaluate it against the SDGs to determine if it fits.

Showcase My Research

Do you have an independent or group project for a class? Do you want to focus on something related to sustainability? If so, reach out to us today! Our Office is happy to work with you on everything from brainstorming about the project to connecting you with the proper resources on campus!

 

Conference & Journal Announcements

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$2,500 Course Development Grant

Social Action in Response to Climate Change

A $2,500 grant opportunity from the Bonner Foundation is available for developing an undergraduate or graduate course with a community organizing or social action component. Proposals that focus...

Posted: September 16, 2021, 9:18 AM

Got Plastic?

30+ new locations on campus for plastics recycling!

UMBC now offers collection and recycling of all clean plastic bags, films, and wraps! These items can be placed into one of the 35 yellow bins located throughout campus. The bins will be placed on...

Posted: August 31, 2021, 10:45 AM

Maryland Climate Coalition Mini-Grant Proposal Application

Want money for your student organization to continue to spread the word about your commitment to being green? Fill out this application before April 20th for a chance to get up to $1,000 in grant...

Posted: February 18, 2015, 10:25 PM